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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
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Man smuggles $75,000 worth of cocaine through three airports [CAN]
#7411399 - 09/14/07 10:49 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Man smuggles $75,000 worth of cocaine through three airports September 14, 2007 - canada.com
CALGARY — With thousands of dollars’ worth of cocaine smuggled inside the false bottom on his suitcase, a Calgary man managed to pass through three airports and travel more than 12,000 kilometres, from Sudan, to Qatar to Frankfurt, Germany.
But under the steely gaze of a Calgary customs officer, the 25-year-old cracked under pressure, stumbling on his travel story.
The nervous man was flagged for a secondary inspection at Calgary International Airport early Wednesday evening, when customs officials found a false bottom on his black suitcase. Hidden under cardboard were three kilograms of cocaine packaged into bricks and sealed with packing tape.
Police say there is little doubt the $75,000 worth of cocaine was destined to be sold on Calgary’s streets.
The bust is credited to a customs officer’s old-fashioned line of questioning, rather than electronic airport security, said Dave Ellison, a Calgary superintendent for Canadian Border Services Agency.
“It was excellent work and very good questioning on the part of the officers.”
No drug dogs were on duty that night.
In a post 9-11 world with stringent travel restrictions, how the man passed through at least three different airports with the drugs undetected raises questions about security in foreign airports.
“Not every country has our requirements for checking each piece of luggage and screening them,” said Lucie Vignola, a Transport Canada spokeswoman. “We all assess the level of risk and identify what flights pose a risk more than others.”
Canadian, U.S. and most UK airports screen departing and arriving passengers, but not all airports have the dual system in place.
“This is the largest seizure that we’ve had in recent years,” said Lisa White, spokeswoman for Canadian Border Services Agency.
RCMP arrested the man, charging him with importing cocaine and trafficking. He is known to police, said RCMP Sgt. Patrick Webb.
The maximum penalty for both charges is life imprisonment.
The phony suitcase is not an uncommon method of concealing drugs, said Sgt Patrick Webb.
“This was not one of the more sophisticated ones, but this amount coming through a flight is a very large amount. To get bigger amounts, you basically have to be into land shipments or to conceal it in containers. This is about the maximum amount you expect to carry.”
Police aren’t sure what country the drugs came from.
The seizure underscores cash-rich Calgary’s demand for addictive white powder, Webb said.
Police would not say how long the man had been abroad.
Since January 2005, there have been 999 narcotic drug seizures, valued at $2.4 million, in Alberta airports.
About $550,000 worth of drugs from 237 seizures were made at the Calgary International Airport alone.
The amount of cocaine the man was carrying could be expected to produce approximately 30,000 “lines” — single doses of the drug. The shipment was worth $75,000 on the street, police said.
Idris Yousif, 25, of Calgary, is charged with importation of cocaine possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands produce and export most of the synthetic drugs that arrive in Canada.
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SlvrZeta
~Asi



Registered: 09/14/07
Posts: 200
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Re: Man smuggles $75,000 worth of cocaine through three airports [CAN] [Re: veggie]
#7411546 - 09/14/07 11:46 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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That sucks he was caught.
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Alion



Registered: 08/14/07
Posts: 462
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Re: Man smuggles $75,000 worth of cocaine through three airports [CAN] [Re: SlvrZeta]
#7412398 - 09/15/07 08:40 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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The maximum penalty for both charges is life imprisonment.
...at 25 years old...
people need to think shit through
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DebuteMachine

Registered: 09/29/06
Posts: 6,457
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Re: Man smuggles $75,000 worth of cocaine through three airports [CAN] [Re: Alion]
#7412558 - 09/15/07 09:35 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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"Gee let me try to smuggle drugs through a suit-case, no one has ever heard of that before."
Dumbass.
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joekenorer
The Joekenorer



Registered: 05/22/07
Posts: 626
Loc: Pensacola, FL.
Last seen: 1 year, 6 months
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Re: Man smuggles $75,000 worth of cocaine through three airports [CAN] [Re: DebuteMachine]
#7414745 - 09/15/07 09:54 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Someone out there is very pissed off. I know I would be, considering such a small quantity being carried through airports wouldn't belong to some large drug-lord where it would just be a drop in a bucket, but rather someone smaller who was investing a chunk of very important money. Poor bastard.
-------------------- My favorites are weeping willows, which aren't really weeping at all. They're very wispy, witty and will dance in the breeze with you. Nothing like a tree that wants to dance with you. Although it doesn't like its thin limbs being pulled at all, it absolutely LOVES it when you walk through them, letting them gently slide over your face and shoulders. If you're naked, the willow considers it to be sex. It will orgasm on your mind and you will blow dream chunks into outer space. All very fun until your neighbor sees you. -The Joekenorer
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